1. Field
The invention has to do with providing a continuous supply of closed loops of a narrow, easily tied, flexible material, such as dental floss, for dispensing incrementally as relatively short, individual loop lengths, and to dispensers therefor.
2. State of the Art
Material of the kind concerned is normally supplied on or as a spool for unwinding incrementally and separating sequentially as relatively short lengths for use. A very long piece of material is usually wound on a spool or on itself for dispensing through a cut-off device. When a desired length from such a continuous supply of same has been pulled from the spool, it is cut off and put to the desired use.
It has recently become known that dental floss is much easier to use if formed into a rather short, closed loop and held taut about one or more extended fingers of both hands of the user for insertion between and withdrawal from teeth to be cleaned. Moreover, various ways have been suggested for connecting short, individual loops into a continuous length for winding on or as a spool, so that individual loop lengths can be easily dispensed from a sanitary container. However, the proposed ways of connecting individual loops together to form an elongate chain have left much to be desired.
3. Objective
It was a principal objective in the making of the present invention to interconnect individual, performed, loop lengths of dental floss or other narrow, easily tied, flexible material in a simple way as a chain of easily separable links such that the individual loops will remain interconnected during hand or machine winding onto spools or into spool formation and during handling for merchandising purposes and consumer use, but will easily separate, one-by-one sequentially, when the terminal one at the free end of the chain is pulled while holding the next individual link length in the chain-like series of same.